That's Amore...

After I finished my other post, I went to a news service, and saw an obit for my mentor, Argentina Brunetti. I hadn't spoken to her in quite awhile, so was very saddened by this. I drive past her old building pretty much every morning on my way to work and always think, "I should give her a call," but never did. And now, obviously, it's too late. :-(

So, I'm a kinda blue about all this.

Argentina was amazing - I met her when she was 80, living next door to my maternal grandmaother, and she was a firecracker. She was so kind to me when I was learning Italian and would always be so positive even when I made mistakes. When I wanted to study acting, she encouraged me and told me about her own mother, stage actress Mimi Aguglia, and how she was almost born on stage in Argentina (hence, the name). Every Christmas, there she was as Mrs. Martini in "It's a Wonderful Life" for the whole world to see. And she became my mentor in all things acting, writing and Italian.

Even after my grandmother moved up to Northen California, I would go see Argentina. She would tell me about her life and I was just mesmerized. She really was a true original and very much an inspiration to the modern woman's desire to *do it all.* She was a wife, mother, grandmother, actress and journalist. Really an amazing woman.

For her 90th birthday, her family threw a huge party at the Sofitel and the best part was when they pulled out a TV and played a clip from a movie she did with Dean Martin. She played his mother and he serenaded her with "That's Amore", and then the entire group of us broke into a chorus of "That's Amore and serenaded her again. She just beamed.

When I think of her, that is what I'm going to remember - her beaming while being surrounded by the people she loved and who loved her.